Reps Give AGF 72 Hours To Explain N100bn COVID-19 Funds Spending… 

The House of Representatives has issued 72-hours ultimatum to the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs Oluwatoyin Madein, to submit detailed report on the utilisation of the N100 billion COVID-19 intervention funds released by the then President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to Ministries, Departments and Agencies between 2020 and 2022.

Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Bamidele Salam (PDP-Osun), who issued the notice in Abuja, frowned upon the AGF’s refusal to comply with the resolution of the Committee to submit the report on October 27, 2023.

While reading the Riot Act against the AGF, Salam explained that the House had mandated the Committee to investigate the “expenditure incurred under the COVID-19 interventions especially in the year 2020 and up to 2022.”

He directed the AGF to transmit the report before the close of work on Friday, 3rd November, 2023.

The House resolution was passed sequel to the adoption of a motion on the ‘Alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 intervention funds from 2020 to 2022’, approved by Federal Government for various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) between 2020 and 2022.

While leading the debate on the motion, Nyampa Zakari, who underscored the role of the National Assembly in exposing corruption in the utilisation of public fund, lamented that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the loss of lives, jobs and economic opportunities for millions of homes in different parts of the world including Nigeria.

In his contribution, Ahmed Jaha, who commended the spirit of the motion, lamented that the amount expended in combatting COVID-19 in Nigeria was humongous and could have easily done much more for each local government in Nigeria.

While querying the mismanagement and diversion of funds meant to battle the pandemic for other issues, Jaha called on the House to investigate the issue thoroughly.